The present invention relates to a bodyside assembly for an automotive vehicle in which the bodyside structure is formed not by stamping, but rather by folding a prepunched blank so that a wheelhouse structure is created integrally from the blank, along with the side and floor portions of the bodyside.
Inner side panels for pickup truck boxes are typically made through a stamping process. Because of the geometry of the wheelhouse portion of the pickup bodyside panel or structure, it is difficult to stamp the wheelhouse and remaining bodyside from high strength steel. Although low strength steel is more easily formed by a deep draw process into a bodyside panel, this type of construction has sometimes proven to be unsatisfactory in the hands of vehicle users, because of the denting occurring from everyday usage of low-strength steel pickup boxes or other vehicles.
The present invention allows a bodyside to be formed without the need for stamping or deep drawing, which allows higher strength material to be used, thereby promoting a better product and greater customer satisfaction.